Vatican Museums Alone: VIP Early Entry or After-Hours Guided Tour
- 2h 35m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Before the Eternal City awakes, or as the sun sets over Rome, enter the empty hallowed halls, opulent galleries, and sacred chambers of the Vatican Museums, in an exclusive small group with an expert guide. You will experience the Apostolic palaces as the popes of the Renaissance did – peacefully, without the crowds. Enjoy some of the greatest art in the world. The Apollo and Laocoon of antiquity, the Renaissance wonders of the Raphael rooms, and the majesty of Michelangelo’s masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel.
Inclusions
What's included
- Expert guide
- Extra early or after-hours VIP access to the Vatican Museums
- Museum Highlights
- Visit the Sistine Chapel & Raphael Rooms without the usual crowds
- Pinecone Courtyard for a full breakfast (NOT included in the after-hours tour)
- A group of no more than 10 people
- Semi-Private tour
What's not
- Saint Peter’s Basilica is not included
- Breakfast in the Pinecone Courtyard is not included in the evening tour
Itinerary
Enter the hallowed halls and galleries of the Vatican two hours before it opens to the general public, or after opening time. Enjoy an exclusive semi-private tour with an expert guide alone in the Vatican with just a small group of 10 people.
Normally full of hundreds of people jostling for position, enjoy the peace and quiet of Pope Julius II’s private apartments by Raphael, the painter of sweetness and light. Admire the incredible frescoes of the School of Athens and the Disputa. Learn about the life and tragic early death of the beloved Raphael.
Marvel at the hand-stitched Flemish tapestries, created according to Raphael school designs. Admire the golden opulence and amazing accuracy of the 17th-century frescoes in the Gallery of Maps.
To enter the empty Sistine Chapel is an unforgettable moment. Normally filled with over 1000 people, you will stand alone beneath Michelangelo’s mighty masterpieces. Be swept up in their splendor and magnificence.
The tour ends in the peaceful Pinecone Courtyard.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
- 512
- 40
- 30
- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 12 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- In front of Cafe Vaticano, right across the street from the Vatican Museum's Entrance. Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time. IMPORTANT: You must bring photo ID to guarantee entry.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 10 travellers
- Operated by
- LivTours
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Places of worship have strict dress code requirements for entry. All participants are required to have shoulders and knees covered (no tank tops or short dresses) to enter
- There is no photography allowed inside the Sistine Chapel.
How it compares in Rome
- Its from-price is 281% above the median of the 8352 experiences we list in Rome.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 2215 of 8352.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Rome
Rome layers nearly three thousand years of history into one walkable city, from the Colosseum and Forum to Baroque piazzas and Vatican art.
Ancient Rome is still in plain sight. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill sit together at the city's heart, the Pantheon still stands with its open oculus, and fragments of temples and aqueducts turn up between apartment blocks. Across the Tiber, Vatican City holds St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Top-ranked sights in Rome: Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel.
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